1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a waste kinetic energy reclaiming system for a vehicle, and more specifically to a system which converts kinetic energy of a vehicle to electric energy to simultaneously reclaim unnecessary energy and brake the vehicle when braking is required.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Waste kinetic energy reclaiming systems for vehicles, such as motor cars, have been developed to promote fuel economy. For example, Japanese Published Unexamined Utility Model Application No. 56-51442 discloses such an energy reclaiming system. This system has a generator, which converts kinetic energy of the vehicle to electric energy when braking of the vehicle is required. The reclaimed electric energy is supplied to a vehicle battery for later use. In this way, this system reclaims the otherwise unused kinetic energy of the vehicle during braking, thus promoting fuel economy. However, this system is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of structural simplicity and efficiency.